Chapter 154 Sigh

Deep within the immortal cave, a woman in black finally set her mind at ease after seeing Xiao Xue release that Millennium Frost Thorn. "Mobai, you are finally going to die. Only in your death can I find absolute peace."

With a crisp sound like a chime, the Millennium Frost Thorn fired by Xiao Xue was suddenly deflected by a flash of silver light. Spinning wildly like a top, the ice thorn tumbled through the air before landing heavily upon a massive boulder. Mobai’s face turned ashen; he closed his eyes, feeling the world spin around him. *Why? What is the meaning of all this?*

Xiao Xue’s Millennium Frost Thorn had struck the Seven-Leaf Lotus resting atop the boulder directly, shattering the lotus into pieces. Upon witnessing this scene, Xiao Xue let out a long exhale for reasons unknown, lacking even a shred of strength left to gaze upon Mobai.

A silver shadow flickered, instantly materializing before Mobai. Raising a hand, the figure channeled a surge of spiritual energy into him, let out a soft exclamation of surprise, and then pried open Mobai’s clenched teeth to drop a black jade pill into his mouth. In that very instant, a rich fragrance emanated from Mobai’s body. Slowly, Mobai opened his eyes to find himself cradled in the arms of a young woman with crescent-moon eyes. The girl gazed down at him with hazy, tender eyes and said, "Heh, you really are careless, aren't you? Clearly, you had a chance to escape at the very end, yet you insisted on acting tough and brought yourself to this state."

Mobai said helplessly, "Lady Yu, you’ve saved me once again. It seems I won't be able to repay this debt of gratitude anytime soon."

The newcomer was none other than Yu Yinxin. Hearing this, she chuckled, "Then you can just take your time paying it back. It doesn't look safe here; we had better leave first."

Mobai slowly rose to his feet. It was evident that Yu Yinxin’s pill possessed miraculous potency. He shook his head and said, "I'm afraid we cannot leave just yet."

Yu Yinxin let out a puzzled sound and asked, "Why?" Then, casting her crescent-moon gaze toward the prone figure of Xiao Xue lying on the ground, she added with a playful tone, "What, can't bear to leave her behind? Do you want me to save her as well? Rest assured, she is merely exhausted; her injuries are far lighter than yours. Besides, this is the Yi Flower Sect—are you worried they lack sacred pills for healing?"

Mobai looked at Xiao Xue, at a loss for how to express his feelings. He had also heard that final, faint sigh of Xiao Xue's. With a gentle smile, he said, "Lady Yu jests. It's just that I must re-enter the cold pool once more to retrieve a leaf of the Seven-Leaf Lotus in order to save Nalan Xin'er."

A wave of utter confusion washed over Yu Yinxin as she demanded, "What? Have you grown tired of your own life?"

Yet Mobai replied firmly, "If something were to happen to them, what meaning would there be in my continuing to live?"

"You—you'll be the death of me!" Yu Yinxin stamped her foot in exasperation. Clearly, she was intimately familiar with the affairs of the entire Yi Flower Sect. "Go on back to the Rain-Listening Cottage first; at least it is safe there. I'll go pluck the Seven-Leaf Lotus for you," she declared.

Mobai nodded. "I trust you, Lady Yu. I shall return to the Rain-Listening Cottage and await you there. I suspect many complicated truths are about to come to light, and that will be the time I truly need to recover. Therefore..."

"Therefore, you should just hurry and leave!" Overjoyed by Mobai words of trust, Yu Yinxin shoved him out of the immortal cave. She glanced back at Xiao Xue sprawled upon the ground, let out a heavy sigh, and then plunged with a heavy *splash* into the chilling pool, shrieking, "Mobai, this girl is freezing to death! Sooner or later, you're going to have to warm my bed for this!"

Emerging from the cave, Mobai winced in lingering pain, helplessly rubbed the scar across his left eyebrow, and set off along the path back toward the Rain-Listening Cottage.

"Xin'er! Xin'er! What's wrong with you?" Wu Luohua and Ganyu cried out in unison.

Nalan Xin'er appeared to have suffered some form of profound shock, her consciousness slipping into a daze. Hearing the commotion, True Person Guyu and Mu Ziyan rushed over, preparing to subdue Nalan Xin'er and prevent the little demoness from suffering a deviation in her cultivation. Yet at that very moment, Nalan Xin'er seemed to unleash a wellspring of invisible energy. In a single flash, a torrential surge of spiritual power exploded outward. Mu Ziyan was blasted back several steps, while True Person Guyu immediately unfurled her spiritual arts to shield Ganyu and Xiaohua. Taking advantage of this fleeting opening, Nalan Xin'er sprang up, burst through the doors, and fled, leaving everyone struck with sheer terror.

As Mobai walked on for roughly the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, he suddenly felt gusts of chilly wind closing in from behind. A bitter smile touched his lips. "The things that are bound to come always arrive at the most inopportune times. This truly is troublesome."

A dark shadow dropped the pretense of concealment, floating down to land directly before Mobai. A cold voice rang out, "Mobai, your life is remarkably tenacious. Time and again you refuse to die, but today, let's see how you manage to leave this place alive."

"Senior, what deep hatred or bitter grudge could possibly exist between us?" Mobai asked calmly.

"Do you think you can stall for time to recover your injuries? You exhausted your vital essence just moments ago; what path of survival could you possibly hope for?" The figure in black saw right through Mobai's intentions.

"Oh? Have I truly exhausted my vital essence? Could it be that Senior was unaware everything I did just now was merely an act? If not for that, how else could I have forced you out of hiding?" Mobai smiled serenely, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to a grievously wounded man.

"Young man, do not try to bluff me. With my years of spiritual perception, I knew long ago that you had reached the end of your rope. Do you still delude yourself into thinking you can fool me with this temporary bravado?" Not a flicker of emotion stirred in the black-clad person's voice, yet her hesitation betrayed her—at the very least, she had not yet struck.

Mobai knew his window was agonizingly narrow. He needed to seize every second to absorb the sacred pill Yu Yinxin had given him. Moreover, he suddenly realized that the wound on his chest where Xiao Xue's sword had pierced him beneath the water was far less severe than he had imagined. This realization sparked a glimmer of hope that he might still have a fighting chance against this mysterious assailant.

"Very well then, I invite Senior to offer some guidance. Perhaps this is also Senior's final opportunity," Mobai said with a ringing laugh.

"A final opportunity? Hmph, those shall be your final words." The black-clad figure's spiritual energy began to churn ominously, clearly primed to deliver a fatal blow at a moment's notice.

"Of course it is Senior's final opportunity, because the moment I return to the Rain-Listening Cottage, I will report the full truth of these events to True Person Guyu, and have her summon True Person Gu-Meng, the sect master of the Yi Flower Sect. Hmph, within the domain of the Yi Flower Sect, once True Person Gu-Meng sets her mind on capturing you, do you honestly believe you will have any chance of escape?" Mobai threatened.

"You are mistaken, young man. Even if Gu-Meng herself were to come personally, she would still be utterly powerless," the black-clad person replied coldly.

Mobai touched his chest, then drew out a delicate wooden comb. To his dismay, the comb was snapped squarely in two down the middle. A faint, solitary murmur escaped his lips, "Everything happened because of you. Still, it's fortunate you weren't completely useless—at the very least, you saved my life just now. I only wonder if you can save me once more." With that, he flicked his wrist and tossed the broken comb away.